Enthralled: A Box Set

by Pamela Ann

  His smile disarmed me, and I was becoming a total creep who couldn’t properly function with a gorgeous male before me.

  His perfect a smile deepened, and by that time my mind turned into mush.

  “Are you working on set?”

  Trying my damnedest not to act uncomfortably, I licked my lips before shaking my head. “No … I’m just a fan. Well, that and my friend’s in the glam squad.”

  He made a boisterous laughter, catching me off guard. “Don’t let the band hear you say that; they’ll never forgive you.”

  Who was this man and why had he taken over my ability to think? He was gorgeous, but there was something more to him. He had substance.

  “Are you working with crew?” Maybe he was part of the video folks. He surely wasn’t part of band.

  “I manage the band. I’m here to check out if things are running smoothly. You know, temper tantrums and hissy fits. Hardcore rock star stuff.”

  It was my turn to chortle. The guy had a sense of humor; I had to give him that.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Kyle, and thanks for saving me from falling into the gravel.”

  “Listen, I know this might seem too forward, but what the hell, I’m taking my chances,” he stated before seeming unsure, licking his lips as he glanced back at me. “Do you want to have dinner sometime?”

  “Sure, that’d be nice.”

  Less than seventy-two hours of being single, and here I was, agreeing to a date. But how could I say no to Kyle Matthews? He was just the kind of guy I went for. Sexy, rugged, funny, and downright delicious to look at. Which made me more wonder why I dated Parker in the first place. The man didn’t cross some on the list, but maybe it was because I didn’t go out much. Well, it was high time I remedied that problem.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Argh! It’s so fucking good to hear you voice,” River said cheerfully from the other end of the line. It had been over four days since I had last seen him. “How’s everything going on your end, petal?”

  “I’m good …” I dawdled as I nakedly shifted in bed, contemplating if he would be offended for what I had to tell him next. “Well, there’s this thing … You see, I’m going on a date tomorrow.”

  Kyle Matthews hadn’t wasted time securing a timestamp on our dinner date. Not that he had to try hard. I was too excited to even dream of letting him wait.

  “You move fast.” River let out a whooshing sound. “Are you sure you’re ready to date again?” He sounded so wounded I almost took my words back. Almost.

  He was appalled to realize that I moved fast? I slept with him hours after breaking it off with Parker. Speedy didn’t even cut it. But given our present predicament, I understood why he stated it that way. It was part concern and part injured feelings.

  “I’m sure. Kyle seems nice. Besides, it’s just dinner.”

  “Kyle …” He cleared his throat. “Dinner. Well that’s good, I guess. I just want to put it out there that I support you, and that as long as you’re happy, I’m happy, too.”

  This was a different tune. “The old you wouldn’t put up with anything like this.”

  “Well, this is the revised, upgraded version. People change, Cara, and I hope in the long run you’ll see that I have.”

  “If you really mean that, then thank you. You have no idea how relieved I am. Back in the day, we’d be in the middle of a sparring match. But I’m ecstatic that it doesn’t have to come to that.”

  Whenever he had seen a guy from school try to flirt with me, he would go ballistic. Countless times he had engaged in fights, and that was one of the reasons that no one fucked with me in school. The kids who dared would meet River’s wrath. Yeah, he was such punk and a kickass bad boy, but he was mine. And together, we conquered.

  So much for the past. This guy had apparently had a major attitude makeover. It saddened me to see that part of him gone. At the same time, I respected his new outlook in life. It had taken courage to change, and that was something to be commended. I guessed this time he had meant it when he said he was staying in my life, circumstances be damned.

  “Wow, I feel like you’re growing up this time, River,” I stated in jest, hoping to navigate our conversation to a lighter tone.

  “Ha, funny, ha. Seriously, though, I may not sound it, but I just want you to be happy.”

  He was hurt, his voice told me so.

  “River, it’s just a date. I didn’t say I was going to marry anyone.”

  “Don’t joke like that. It’s not funny to me.”

  I sighed. We were in a bizarre situation, but I had made my feelings clear from the beginning. Getting back together wasn’t on the menu.

  “We’re okay, though, right?”

  “I am what you say I am, Cara.”

  “River, you’re not making this easy.”

  “Never worry about me, babe. I’ll be okay, I promise.”

  “Thanks,” I said, wanting to drop the subject.

  And so we carried on discussing music and the songs he had been working on. He composed a new one the other day, and he was letting me hear it for the first time. It was just like in the old days, and I couldn’t help relishing these moments, holding them close to my heart.

  We were breaking a new ground, a bond that was stronger than friendship. It made me realize how amazing it was to have him in my life again. I didn’t want to lose this closeness, this bond.

  //

  Kyle chose the restaurant Nobu in Malibu. He had insisted on picking me up, but I wanted to meet him, just as a precaution in case I needed a speedy exit. He graciously waited for me before the maître d’ showed us our table.

  He whistled as his eyes roved over me. “You look insanely stunning.”

  My ensemble consisted of a champagne colored strapless mini-dress with my hair piled high, showcasing the delicateness of my neck and the soft, striking angles of my face. Pairing it with matching simple pearl studs and choker, and finishing the look with a rose gold strappy Prada heels. I dressed with the intention for this specific reaction. Hopefully, the night would transpire in the same manner.

  Our table was on the patio overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean as the backdrop, exuding romance. Given that this was our first date, I appreciated Kyle’s effort in making sure that everything was pleasing.

  I never doubted the man played the field. He certainly looked the part. Kyle Matthews was gorgeous, confident, successful, and had that particular air that only self-assured men had about him. He made me nervous, but it was the good kind of nerves.

  In the past two years of joining the dating pool, I had never been this thrilled to go on a date. It couldn’t be helped. Kyle was quite a catch.

  We were both in a jovial mood as we ordered our appetizers and entrees. It was right after our first sip of wine that Kyle revealed something bizarre.

  “You remind me of someone I used to know,” he stated as he glanced at me. “You have the same personality, and that beautiful smile of yours.” It was difficult not to trace the melancholy echoes in his tone.

  In my curiosity, I was prompted to ask, “What happened to her?”

  Kyle smiled, but it never reached his eyes. “Sienna? She’s married now and expecting, but once upon a time, I meant everything to her.”

  “Then why—”

  “I cheated.”

  “Oh, you’re that kind.” Why didn’t this revelation surprise me? Sitting back, I waited for him to carry on.

  “It wasn’t intentional, but it happened, and I couldn’t take it back. It’s so cliché to even say it, but it’s true. I was young and stupid.”

  He sounded just like River, but the fact remained, no man was a saint, claiming to be in love or otherwise. To them, love was a fleeting moment. A selective emotion granted to a woman who made them feel the most, but the second their attentions were averted by another, that love was no more.

  “I was cheated on once, and it hurt me like a motherfucker.”

  Kyle gave me a considering l
ook. “What happened to him?”

  “We’re friends.” In a way, River was.

  He took a lengthy sip of his wine, studying me. “He wants you back.” He didn’t question it. He merely stated a fact.

  Since Kyle began the conversation by being truthful, I had to give him the same courtesy.

  “Yeah, he does, but no. I can’t possibly—”

  “That’s what Sienna did, too. She could never bring herself to trust me afterward, and before I knew it, someone filled my spot who loved her just as fiercely as I did. I lost my chance the second I fucked up.”

  “Such is life. We have to eventually move on.” Whoever this Sienna was, I felt for her and hoped that I would have the wherewithal to keep River’s intentions at bay.

  He beamed in the most charming of way before he raised a glass before making a toast. “To new beginnings.”

  Now that was something I could totally agree on.

  Raising my glass to him, I repeated, “To new beginnings.”

  I found it refreshing to speak to someone who didn’t know anything about me. I could speak freely without needing to hide.

  For the entire duration of dinner, he gave me such entertaining stories about the craziness of his life. He worked almost daily. He worked hard and played hard. I found myself enthralled by him and was curious to know what made him tick and what he was made of. He was forthcoming about his past misgivings, his weaknesses and strengths, and I had to applaud him for his honesty.

  We completed the date with a promise to make another soon. Although he tried to cajole me in continuing our night to his house, I had to decline, believing it was better to take it slow. Besides, I didn’t want to immediately involve myself with anyone.

  Kyle gave the impression that wasn’t in a hurry to be tangled in a serious relationship, either, since he had been scarred. Therefore, he reluctantly led me to my car before kissing me goodnight on the cheek. I drove off smiling, knowing this would be one of many dates I would share with Kyle Matthews.

  I came home still sporting that very endearing smile on my face, until I found someone at my doorstep. Beyond surprised to find River waiting, my shock was more to the fact that the rogue man seriously looked like the Viking on screen who everyone worshipped. Hair loose, scruff and all.

  “What are you doing here?” I exclaimed, grinning from ear-to-ear.

  Holy mighty fuck! I was beyond mesmerized that I overlooked the gargantuan assembled bouquet consisting of hydrangeas and carnations in his grip.

  Those deep lustful eyes took me in licentiously. “We have one day off, and I figured that instead of resting, I might as well fly out and see you. I can sleep on the flight.” Dark depths trained on me, unmasked, unguarded, with unparalleled desire, before he extended his hand to give me the gorgeous blooms. “I had to see you.”

  “You’re crazy,” I whispered with an unwavering smile.

  “We’ve already established that long ago,” he cheekily responded before he took hold of my other hand and gestured toward my ensemble. “But look at you—wowzah. Is Kyle on his way over? ’Cause if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t fucking let you out of my sight.”

  “Guess it’s a good thing he’s not like you. You’ve already covered the stalker in my life; I don’t need another one.” Sliding out of his loosened grip, I searched for my keys before lodging it into the keyhole and unlocking it.

  “Oh, yeah? I’m a stalker now?” He cackled as we stepped into my apartment with him trailing behind me before I felt his strong arms secure around my body. “Come here,” he roughly commanded, the playfulness in his tone gone as he pulled me toward him before slamming my body against his muscular, chiseled chest. “Missed me?” he asked gruffly as he nibbled on my earlobe.

  “A little?” My body shuddered as his tongue zoned in on spots that were highly sensitive. I could feel my scarce lace thong soaking.

  “Only a little?” He laughed before he smacked my bottom cheek then palmed it, beginning to massage it in soothing, circular motions. “You’re going to get it tonight. I’m not going to hold back this time.”

  Oh, fuck me now. How did he accomplish to make me into this hapless woman in one heart fucking beat? It was his specialty.

  Biting my bottom lip, I enticingly gazed at him through my lashes. “Is that a threat?”

  “It’s a promise.” He unceremoniously pushed me against the wall with his hot breath on my lips. “Don’t be coy. I know you. You want me, but you won’t openly admit it.” The wet tip of his tongue grazed the bottom of my lip, tasting me, those lethal libidinous eyes held me in a trance. “How often do you touch yourself while talking to me? Your voice changes, and I can easily detect the soft hitches and the stifled moans.” He cupped my drenched pussy before hastily pushing the scrap of thread aside to probe farther into me. With the use of his middle finger, he parted my slit, gliding his soaked digit in my essence, leaving me panting against him. “Do you touch yourself like this, my Cara? Do you imagine it’s my cock rubbing your pussy? Tell me … Tell me what you want.”

  Rendered speechless, my pulse accelerated to another pitch. Profuse with embarrassment, I wondered why he hadn’t said a damn thing before? Each night it became a ritual because his voice sent me back to that night he unapologetically ravished me. I had lusted for him before, sure. But this time, my carnal appetite demanded more. It was like a terrifying mountain of fire that he alone could satiate and extinguish. His lovemaking was unmatched, and I was addicted to it.

  Previously I had denied the notion, but as I stood there, defenseless against his ministrations, it became blatantly obvious that my body couldn’t resist him. Like it was designed to do as he pleased, obey his orders, his commands, and at his mercy. Never did it decline his wishes. Not once. And it didn’t plan to in the near future.

  “Tell me what you want, my Cara,” he demanded in the most compelling manner, before I felt that notorious digit impale me deeply, threateningly, with one purpose in mind.

  I groaned in frustration, knowing he enjoyed prolonging my agony. “You know what I think.” My lips quivered when I felt him thrust his hips against mine, his hardened member fully aroused.

  Thinking about where that engorged cock would soon be made my mouth water. I could feel its strength, its glorious steely power ready to rule and conquer my body.

  “I think about you, lost in me, within me, fucking me with that thick dick of yours. I dream about the way you stretch me as you glide within my wet walls, giving me sweet pain, the greatest pleasure I’ve ever known. It’s pure bliss to feel your muscular, sinewy body on top of me, taking charge of what’s yours.”

  He groaned as his forehead met mine, breathing against my lips. “Is this body really mine, Cara?”

  For the time being.

  Cupping his cheek, I sought his lips. “For now … it’s yours to take … for as long as you want.”

  “Christ, Cara, I can’t get enough of you. Every waking moment and in my dreams, it’s you I think about.”

  My heart ached with his confession. “Show me. Show me how much you want me.”

  I heard his pants drop to the floor as I panted for his touch. Then I felt him bunch the scrap of my thong before yanking it out of the way. The fat mushroom head of his member grazed my abdomen as he watched me, primal and ready to dominate his prey.

  “Beg for my cock, babe.”

  Nearing the end of my patience, I groaned in protest. “God, River, just fuck me already! Fuck me good, hard. Fuck me like you mean it.”

  “Okay, sheesh,” he managed to chuckle before those hungered lips lit me on fire and those large hands lifted me against the wall, lining his cock against my entrance.

  He pummeled his length so hard I was almost out of breath. He filled me with every inch of him, breaking through the tightest of my barriers as I clung to him like my life depended on it.

  “Tightest cunt I’ve ever fucked,” he grunted out as he ploughed me harder, thrusting in deeper as I moaned agains
t his lips.

  A few more strokes, and I shattered with my release. He, however, had just begun.

  Not before long, he was carrying me before he positioned me on the wing of the couch with my bottom in the air, situated righty to perfectly angle against his sex. Before I could utter another word, I felt his palm slap my pussy. The impact made me groan in excitement, whetting my appetite for more. He then gently cupped it as if to soothe it, but when he felt my juiced drip glazing his hand, he hissed my name out.

  “I’m going to fuck you all night until it’s time for me to leave, I promise you.” I could feel his breath hitting my sensitive mound, and before I realized what he was doing, his hot tongue dipped into my core, gliding it from front to back, flicking and licking both entrances until I cried out for him to end my torment.

  Granting me a short reprieve, he wrapped his knuckle around the ends of my dress then forcefully yanked it, bending my yielding body as he ground his dick into my wet canal.

  “Grip your pussy around my cock,” he demanded with urgency. “God damn, baby. Yes, just like that. Harder. Choke it. Grip it harder.”

  I did as he asked, using what little strength I had to make him come. And just when I thought I couldn’t bear it any longer, he warned me what he was about to do before I felt the thick ropes of his orgasm filling me, his cock throbbing as he made small thrusts, milking his member until he emptied every drop inside of me.

  “Did I hurt you?” he huffed out before he slowly pulled out of me then planted a soft kiss on each of my ass cheeks.

  A faint smile formed on my lips before I shut my eyes. “No, but if you don’t take me to bed, I might do you some harm.”

  He chuckled before granting me my wish, plucking me out of peculiar position and taking me to bed. Sighing with utmost delight, I felt him tread toward the bathroom before he brought me a warm wet towelette and gently cleaned my nether region.

  “Thank you,” I murmured as my face dipped onto the pillow.

  I felt his lips against my forehead before he whispered, “Don’t ever thank me for taking care of you, baby.” He then slid into bed, gathering me in his arms. my face resting against his chest.